Droichead Arts Centre is delighted to announce the return of SJ McArdle’s show Port before it embarks on a tour across five venues. Port is a song cycle produced by Droichead Arts Centre, born of a year-long research and writing project around the history and stories of Drogheda’s ancient Port, conducted during SJ’s tenure as Artist in Association at Droichead Arts Centre in 2019.
Along with its accompanying critically-acclaimed RTÉ Radio 1 Album of the Week Old Ghosts In The Water, PORT features Carol Keogh (Plague Monkeys), Graham Henderson (Moving Hearts, Sinead O’Connor) and Trevor Hutchinson (Lúnasa, The Waterboys) along with vocalist John Ruddy and fiddle player Barry Kieran (Kern).

SJ was previously the songwriter and singer in award-winning Irish folk band Kern from 2013 to 2020 and he is also known for his career as a singer-songwriter in Nashville and Germany, which produced 2014’s critically-acclaimed Blood and Bones album (featuring Rodney Crowell). He is also in trad trio Long Woman’s Grave with Nuala Kennedy and Trevor Hutchinson.

SJ’s songs and performances have been featured in radio, film and television and he has toured and recorded extensively in Ireland, Europe and North America, gathering a loyal following and critical accolades along the way.

“An impressive song cycle .. the songs are intriguing and evocative; they are rooted in folk but coloured by expansive and imaginative arrangements.” – The Irish Times

"What a great, great collection of songs this is from SJ McArdle. I urge you to go out and get it." – Fiachna Ó Braonáin (The Hothouse Flowers, RTÉ)

“All the ingredients of great folk songs” – Lynette Fay (BBC)

OTHER TOUR DATES: The Lyric Theatre Belfast, 11 Nov; Wexford Arts Centre; 18 Nov; and in 2024 An Táin Arts Centre, 29 Mar; Solstice Arts Centre, 18 April, Ramor Theatre Cavan 20 April, and the Seamus Ennis Centre 27 April 2024.

Funded by the Arts Council Touring Grant.